Fate Has A Sick Sense Of Humor
by Faewynd
Summary: Her life hasn't been easy. Old grudges, new hopes and let's not forget; Team Rocket. She decided to take on the world, and she was determined to win. But nothing ever goes right, and it seems that fate has a sick sense of humor.
1. I

This is something new that I decided to start a while ago. It's a bit different than the original Pokemon story and there are some definite changes that you will discover as the story goes on. I hope you all like it! :)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the Pokemon Franchise, only the OC's in this story belong to me.

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 **Fate Has A Sick Sense Of Humor**

 **I.**

If there was one thing she had learned from all of this, it was to make sure to always have an escape plan, it was especially important. It was also important to check said escape route before devious plan is carried out… to make sure than sudden moving schedule hadn't been changed, causing people to be where they should not. If both of these unfortunate events coincide, one should make sure that she is a fast runner, and has good stamina.

Damn grunts. Damn schedule. Damn everything.

These were the thoughts that were currently whirling through her head as she was running for her life through the trees, trying to get as far away as possible before-

BOOM!

She let out a hiss of pain as she dived over a fallen log, the heat of the blast seared her skin. Sticks and rocks grated against her, causing her to take a sharp intake of breath. She peeked above the log to see a huge fire burning in the distance, cutting through the darkness. The massive plumes of smoke rose towards the heavens as the screams reached her ears.

The sound that was loudest to her was her ragged breathing, and it hitched painfully as she tenderly ran her hand over her right side. She winced as she found her injury; her stitches had opened up again, damn. That's what she had been trying to avoid.

Smoke filled the air and sirens wailed in the distance, causing her to smirk. That should put them out of business for another week. She looked up, waiting patiently for the rain to fall, and she relaxed as she felt water droplets land in her hair. That would at least help them with the fire. She stiffened as the quick pitter-patter of large feet could be heard. She peeled her backpack off and reached in, waiting, breathless as her fingers closed around her main source of defense. All sounds faded away as she concentrated.

A massive orange creature emerged. It was huge, standing six feet at the shoulder with a glossy white mane and jagged black stripes. Vicious pairs of long, pale teeth glinted as the arcanine bared his teeth, sniffing the air.

The girl released the breath she was holding as the pokemon came and licked her cheek, giving a tiny whine as he sniffed her injuries.

"Hey, bud." She said softly, stroking the wide forehead, "We did it. That's another base down."

He lifted his head, resting it on her shoulder and let out a puff of hot air, content. The girl smiled, running her fingers along the soft fur. There were a few scratches here and there, but it was nothing a trip to the pokemon center couldn't fix.

She pulled the pokeball out of her bag, "You did great tonight, Archie. But you shouldn't be out in the rain. Return."

A soft, warm, red light illuminated her tired face as the pokemon before her disappeared. Long, greasy, dirty, dark brown hair matched with greenish grey eyes. Scratches covered her face, and some of the blood had already dried. Her dark blue jacket, black undershirt, and blue track pants were completely splattered with mud and blood, and even the knees on her pants had ripped, exposing already cut up skin. And she knew that her running shoes were completely ruined.

She heaved a deep sigh and slowly got to her feet, focusing on her breathing to keep the nausea away. She braced herself on the log and took a deep breath, before picking up her backpack and strapping it on, ignoring the pain that went shooting down her spine.

As she trudged weakly through the trees favoring the limp on her right leg, her thoughts wandered back to the base that she had just blown up. It was the fifth time she'd destroyed a Team Rocket base in the last year and the third time she'd used that tactic. She thought they would have been used to it and expected it by now. Unfortunately, that strategy, even though it was the most effective, left her the most beat up. For it to work, she had to 'get caught'. After that, there was usually an interrogation. As to why she did what she did and how she had gotten in and what her plan was and blah, blah, blah. It was all very boring. And then the beat down came. Team Rocket was always very creative in their torture methods; that's for sure. After they were satisfied, they would leave her for a few hours to nurse her wounds. She was forced to hope that she would still be able to walk after these. So far, it hadn't been too much a problem. There were a few instances where she had needed a walking stick, but it was never as bad as it could have been. That's what she told herself, at least. She would always make sure to stash her backpack a good mile or so away from the base. She always took arcanine, flareon or houndoom. Charmeleon wasn't quite up for the task yet.

Before they got to the base, they would review the plan, and then each would work on their section once they got there. And then all hell would break loose, and it was beautiful. When she was 'captured', and thrown into a basement, office, cell or whatever else they had. Once she escaped from her bindings (usually handcuffs, rope, zip-ties etc.), the hunt for the master control panel began. The boiler room in some of the bigger bases proved to be a popular spot. In her second attempt to screw with them, she figured out that a few crossed wires and added some fire, and electrical bomb was triggered with a fifteen-minute limit before it blows. Arcanine was usually the best candidate because of his advanced hearing. He did some damage, came when she called, they set the bomb, and then he would lead them on a wild goose chase while she slipped out the back door. She always made sure that she pulled the fire alarm as she went out, causing the building to immediately evacuate. So far, there had been no casualties in the now three different times she had blown up a base. She was quite proud of herself.

She looked down and checked the battered watch on her wrist. It was just after eleven pm. She would have to get her pokemon healed and head to another town before she could rest. Ah, the joys of being a fugitive. She would also be able to avoid local authorities. She would head to Cianwood next, it was the most isolated, didn't have a police force, and she would be able to spend about a week there before worrying that Rocket would track her down. A whole week to rest, it would be so nice.

The lights of Goldenrod shone brightly ahead, like a beacon in the darkness. She was going to look amazing walking into the Pokemon center the way she looked now, all beat up and mangled, not to mention; completely soaking wet. But she was used to the stares over the years, so how bad could it possibly be?

As she walked through the doors, she was grateful it was late. There were only a few people in the lobby, and they all stopped to stare at her.

She held her chin high and ignored them as she approached the counter.

Nurse Joy looked shocked. "My goodness! What in Arceus's name happened to you?"

She shrugged, "Just got into a scrap with some old friends."

The old nurse bit her lip in worry. "Would you like me to look you over when I finish healing your pokemon?"

When she remained quiet, the Nurse added, "I won't ask questions. I just want to get you patched up."

She blinked in surprise. Most of the nurses in the other pokemon centers she'd gone to had offered the same. Unfortunately, the irritable and concerned question always came with it. She usually refused to answer. She knew that they were just worried about a poor girl that looked like she had been to hell and back. However, that concern usually led them to alert local authorities, and considering Rocket had at least one or two operatives on every police force (that she suspected), it would not do well for them to take her into custody. So, to avoid all those technicalities, she would politely decline their offer. She'd stitched herself up the last few times, and with a few over the counter painkillers, she usually turned out just fine.

"And…you won't contact the authorities?" She asked hesitantly.

Nurse Joy shook her head. "Not if you don't want me to."

"Yes…if you don't mind then… that would be…nice."

The nurse nodded and offered her a tentative smile as she handed over the six pokemon that needed to be healed. She had to dig through all of her pokemon to find them; it took her a few moments to find the right ones. A few years ago, a certain someone (not her of course!) had discovered that Team Rocket had hacked into Bill's computer system and was managing to steal pokemon without the trainer even realizing it until it was too late. Thousands were stolen across the planet and some haven't yet been recovered. She was one of the lucky ones and gotten her eevee, now her espeon, back and exposed them. Within two weeks, no one dared use the P.C system, not even for items. About a month later, Bill announced that he had completely remade the system and that it was now safe because he encrypted each box of each personal trainer with a certain code, and therefore it was impossible to break into. Also, he added a password function, almost like a bank account, that would notify the trainer immediately if a pokemon was withdrawn without authorization.

During those brief few months, everyone pulled their pokemon from the P.C and just carried them all around with them, although there was still a six pokemon per battle limit, otherwise the battle was not valid. The balls minimized easily, so if you had a big enough bag, there was no problem. Once Bill announced that he fixed the problem, most trainers returned to using the P.C, but she didn't think it was worth the risk.

"Okay, here you go." Nurse Joy said happily, handing her back her pokeballs. "Now, let's take a look at you."

She nodded mutely, slipping her pokeballs into her backpack and following the nurse into a back room. It was small, nothing more than an exam table, some equipment and a curtain to make things private.

"Alright dear," Nurse Joy said kindly, "First, can you tell me your name?"

"Melissa." She said automatically, immediately falling into her façade. "Melissa Vaine."

Nurse Joy smiled at her. "Okay, Melissa. Can you tell me what hurts?"

She slowly put her hand on her side, letting out a slow breath as pain raced through her. "I think I reopened my stitches and maybe broke a rib. My right ankle is twisted pretty badly. Other than that, most scratches and cuts are superficial and they'll be gone in a few days."

The nurse nodded, "Alright, can you put your hair up for me?"

She nodded, pulling her dirty excuse for hair up into a messy bun, allowing the Nurse to get a good look at the scars on her back.

The moments passed on in silence as the nurse bustled about. She cleaned and bandaged the cuts that needed them, provided her band aids for the small ones, and wrapped her ankle saying that it would be fine in a few days. When she came to her ribs and examined them, she paused.

"I'm going to need to clean and re-stitch this, it's going to hurt."

She nodded, bracing herself, "Just get it over with."

Nurse Joy hesitated, before taking a deep breath and pressing the cloth with antiseptic to the wound.

She went rigid, letting out an angry hiss and mentally counting backwards from ten. It hurt like hell, but pain was only temporary, and after a few seconds, it faded.

Nurse Joy let out a sigh of relief, "The worst is over. I put some lidocaine in there as well; it should help numb the skin to make the stitches less painful. "

She blinked at her, slightly amazed. "Thanks."

The nurse smiled in a motherly way, "it's not trouble at all dear. Although I suggest you take a shower sometime tomorrow to clean everything out again. "

She nodded.

Once she was all stitched up and ready, she dug through her massive backpack and pulled out a fresh set of clothes. She would have to toss the ones she was wearing; there was no way she would be able to get all of the blood out. She changed quickly, not wanting to stay for too long.

As she stood to leave, she realized something. Turning to Nurse Joy, she asked, "Thanks for not asking questions."

The Nurse smiled grimly at her. "It just so happens that the old abandoned warehouse a few miles into the forest was blown up recently. I had heard it was a Team Rocket base. So I assume, judging by your wounds, that you were somehow involved. For that, I thank you."

She allowed herself to give the kind hearted nurse a warm smile. "Don't mention it. They deserved it."

The Nurse nodded and handed her a small bottle of pills. "These will help with the pain and take away any drowsiness. Make sure to take them with food though, and never on an empty stomach. And don't take them any longer than you need too."

She nodded before shouldering her backpack. "Thanks, again, for everything."

She paused at the door and turned back to the Nurse, who met her eyes curiously. "Do you need anything else, dear?"

She bit her lip, and knew she was going to regret this. "My name is Cyron."

Nurse Joy smiled and nodded before bustling away.

And with that, Cyron cracked her knuckles and walked confidently out into the city, disappearing into its depths.

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 **Review? :)**


	2. II

Here's the second chapter. I'm hope to sorta get the ball rolling xD If that makes sense...

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything but the OC's.

Enjoy!

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 **Fate Has A Sick Sense Of Humor**

 **II.**

By the time Cyron left Goldenrod, it was after one in the morning. She bit back a groan. It would take at least another hour to fly to Olivine, and then another two hours to get to Cianwood, across the sea. She was too tired to stay awake for all that. Maybe it would just be easier to camp on the outskirts of Olivine City and then head to Cianwood in the morning.

She rubbed her face tiredly before unzipping her backpack and rummaging around for the right pokeball. Finally, after seemed like ages, and after emptying out her messy bag twice, she released one of the pokemon that has been with her since the beginning; her noctowl. She had caught him originally as a hoothoot, and they had been together ever since. Standing at five feet tall and weighing ninety pounds, he reached the base of her chin at her five foot six form and was more than capable of carrying her weight. He was a beautiful bird pokemon, as Cyron was sure to clean his feathers regularly.

"How's my boy?" Cyron said with a tired smile.

Noctowl gave a happy hoot and nipped her ear affectionately. Cyron chuckled, stroking the silky feathers, she was grateful that noctowl was…well, nocturnal. Fearow and pidgeotto were more day time associated.

"Up for a late night trip to Olivine?"

The bird pokemon gave an enthusiastic hoot and unfurled his big wings, staring at her expectantly.

She gave a dry laugh and retied her hair up in a ponytail before carefully climbing onto noctowl's back, making sure not to stress her wounds. Once she was settled, noctowl crouched to the ground, and with one trust of his powerful wings, they were airborne.

Cyron gripped noctowl's feathers tightly, careful not to pull them out. The wind rushed past her face as he picked up speed. She looked down over her shoulder; the lights of Goldenrod were rapidly fading away into the distance. There were a few clouds in the sky, but they soon disappeared, revealing a crescent moon and a bright, starry sky.

Cyron sighed happily. She had always loved the stars. She and her older brother, Markus; used to stargaze all the time when she was little, before the accident at the Silph Company… before he died. Now, the stars surrounded her in the thousands, and they all glittered like tiny diamonds. They seemed to reflect off each other, making the light even brighter.

She leaned forward, placing her hand gently on the side of noctowl's head, "Wake me when we get there?"

He gave a soft hoot of acknowledgement. And Cyron let the sounds of steady wing beats slowly lull her to sleep.

She stirred just as noctowl landed on the outskirts of the city. It was a beautiful, seaside city. The night lights reflected off the ocean waters, giving the city and its inhabitants a calming, and soothing effect.

She climbed down from his back, "Thanks, you make travelling a lot easier."

He bumped her shoulder affectionately as she returned him to his pokeball. She checked her watch, almost two am. Time to get some shut eye.

She crept through the town, making sure to avoid the bad districts and only getting hollered at twice. She made her usual route towards the lighthouse, but then remembered that she had gotten kicked out, being told that it wasn't decent to camp there. Utter bull crap in her opinion. She should be able to camp wherever she pleases. But she really didn't need to attract unwanted attention to herself. So she crept quietly towards the beach, hoping to find a place that would be far enough to avoid high tide.

When she found a suitable spot, she pitched her tent and unfurled her sleeping bag. The moon shone brightly overhead, reflecting over the waves that pushed endlessly against the sand. She dug through her bag and came out with four pokeballs and released them in turn. Umbreon, espeon, houndoom and noctowl appeared before her. Espeon gave a delighted yip at seeing her trainer, immediately weaving through her legs, purring loudly. Umbreon was silent as always, although his red eyes shone with delight and his yellow markings pulsed as he rubbed happily against her leg.

Noctowl hooted a greeting, before perching on a nearby tree, ever watchful. Houndoom dropped down into the sand and rolled over onto his back, demanding a belly scratch. Espeon was the smallest; bust easily one of the most dangerous, being almost three feet high and fifty pounds. Umbreon was slightly taller and more muscular than his refined sister, standing a little over three feet high and sixty pounds. Houndoom was much bigger than both umbreon and espeon, but still smaller than arcanine, being four and a half feet tall and weighing in at seventy-seven pounds.

Cyron laughed as she knelt down and gave houndoom's stomach an affectionate scratch, and then gave umbreon a scratch behind his ears.

"Alright you two," she said sternly, addressing umbreon and houndoom, who both stood in front of her, blinking a little too innocently.

"Now, no police attention, no trainer attention, and no pilfering the twenty-four-hour convenient center!"

Houndoom looked down, hanging his head ever so slightly. While umbreon stood there looking like he had no idea what his trainer was even talking about.

Cyron snorted, raising an eyebrow at her pokemons' behavior. "Stay out of sight."

Both pokemon nodded before melting away into the shadows. Cyron shook her head and let out a sigh as she crawled into her tent, espeon padding in behind her. She pulled out her tiny electric lantern and turned it one. A warm, yellow light illuminated the tiny tent. She pulled off her socks and shoes and peeled her jacket off, shoving them all into a ball and off to the corner of the tent. She whipped out a hairbrush and her small portable mirror, attempting to untangle the rat's nest that was her hair. After she had successfully managed that difficult task, she shoved everything back into her backpack. She whipped out her small pocket knife she kept with her at all times and stashed it under her pillow.

She crawled, completely exhausted into her sleeping bag and turned off her lantern. She lay down and moved her hand under her pillow, feeling reassured when her fingers closed around the knife. Espeon circled at the end of her sleeping bag before lying down and gently drifting off to sleep, the gem at her forehead glowing gently in the dark tent. As Cyron closed her eyes, her thoughts wandered to Houndoom and Umbreon, hoping she wouldn't find a bunch of stolen candy outside the next morning.

-x-

Cyron slept dreamlessly. She would have woken later, but sounds outside her tent alerted her that she was not alone. She checked her watch, just after nine am. She gave a silent groan, yearning for more sleep. Espeon stood at the door of the tent, her lips pulled back in a snarl as she listened to the people prowling around outside. Cyron sat up silently, tying her hair up quickly and glanced down to see Umbreon, Noctowl and Houndoom's pokeballs sitting next to her lantern. Her pokemon were smart, she had trained them to go back into their balls when they were done with their nightly adventures. She picked them up, weighing them. They were definitely all in there.

She froze when she heard the voices, her blood running like ice in her veins.

"Are you sure this is the one?" said a gruff male voice; curious but unsure. Her conclusion; not the leader.

"It has to be!" A high, nasally, male voice snapped. That was the one in charge, there was no questioning the authority in the tone.

"I agree," squeaked a high pitched, female voice. "There are no other possible candidates in the area. This is the third time this has happened. This is the farthest she could have gone after five hours of interrogation."

Rockets! Cyron cursed vehemently in her head, they were quite creative curses too. How had they found her so quickly?! She was over two towns away, Arceus damn it! She packed her bag quickly, shoving in her sleeping bag, pillow, lantern and everything. She pulled on her boots as the three silhouettes approached the entrance of her tent.

She made sure everything was packed up except for the tent itself. She crouched slightly in front of espeon, ready to bolt.

A shadowy hand crept towards the zipper at the top of the entrance. She held her breath and waited.

The door to the tent opened and two figures appeared; both in casual clothing. The first was a skinny girl who looked to be barely eighteen, with wispy blonde hair and wide blue eyes. The man was a huge wall, with massive muscles and very little hair on his head, but plenty on his upper lip. They both looked surprised and moved towards her, failing to notice the pokemon guarding her.

"Espeon!" she cried quickly, "Psychic!"

Espeon leapt forward, snarling. Her eyes began to glow white and the gem on her forehead pulsed brightly. The two grunts dropped like a rock, surprise etched into their faces. Both espeon and Cyron bolted from the tent. She had one foot out the door when she felt an arm around her throat.

She let out a grunt of surprise as she was yanked backwards, her back crashing into a hard chest. And her backpack being ripped away and tossed off to the side .She struggled against the arm that was holding her, but this guy was strong.

"Now, now." A nasally voice said patronizingly into her ear, "I wouldn't keep struggling if I were you."

Cyron took a sharp breath and stilled as she felt the unmistakable point of a cool blade pressed into her lower side, directly below her stitches and the arm around her neck tightened.

"Good girl, now return the Espeon."

Cyron's gaze locked onto espeon, who was pacing a few feet in front of them. Her eyes were narrowed, a deep guttural growl emitted loudly from her throat and her tail lashed back and forth in fury.

Resisting her muscles from shaking, she bent down with the threat of the knife still looming over her. She reached into her backpack and pulled out espeon's ball. Espeon whined, her ears drooping.

Cyron mustered up a smile, "Return, Espy. Everything will be fine."

When the psychic type disappeared, the man whirled her around, the arm that was around the front of her neck was now around the back and the knife pressed into her stomach, but still not putting any space between them. It was then, that she finally got a good look at him. He was about six foot two with thick, black hair complete with dark brown eyes and a stubbled jaw. He would have been pretty good looking if it weren't the fact that he was a part of Team Rocket, that and he was holding a knife to her.

With his face only inches away from hers, he grinned down at her. "Such a pretty face, but you've caused us so much trouble. They're even flying someone special over from Kanto to deal with your little disruptions."

She glared at him, remaining silent as he continued with his speech.

"Now, I'm supposed to cart you off back to our main headquarters here in Johto," he moved his head so that his cheek was pressed up against hers and he whispered in her ear. "So I'm going to take you with me, and you're going to come willingly. I will not tolerate any surprises."

Cyron pulled as far back from him as possible, pushing down her shiver as her glare burned into him, in which he only looked back with a confident smirk.

"Bite me." She hissed venomously at him.

He suddenly stepped back and pushed her away from him, scooping up her backpack in the process. She stumbled backwards, catching her balance at the last possible second. She clenched her fists, taking on a fighting stance.

"Oh, I intend to." He gave her a suggestive wink and grin, and then dropped into a mock bow, "I'm Zack, by the way. I'll be your escort for the next week."

Cyron narrowed her eyes and clenched her right fist, preparing to show this guy her mean right hook. "I'm not going anywhere with the likes of you" she spat.

Zack smiled and raised his eyebrows, "It pains me when you-", he stopped suddenly, his face taking on a blank expression. His whole body shuddered violently and his eyes rolled back into his head and he crumpled to the ground, revealing the pokemon behind him.

The first thing she noticed was the alakazam. The powerful psychic type was standing about ten feet away from them, and unless her kadabra had somehow evolved; this was not her pokemon.

She hesitantly took a few steps forward and scooped up her backpack. The alakazam didn't attack again; it just stood there watching her with curious eyes. She looked past it to see a boy slowly walking towards her, his hands jammed into the pocket of his red hoodie.

First thing that struck her was that he was quite attractive, and he only looked to be a few years older than her. He was tall, about six feet with short, cropped dirty blonde hair, and misty grey eyes. He was lean with well-defined muscles. That much she could tell just by first glance. He wore a pair of dark, denim jeans, a grey t- shirt with a red zip up jacket. He had a strong nose and jaw line and wore a braided, brown leather bracelet on his left wrist along with a plain looking messenger bag slung over his shoulder.

"Good Job, Alakazam. Return." The psychic type vanished before her eyes. "Hey." His voice was deep but had a kind undertone. He gave her an easy grin. "Are you alright?"

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 **Review? :) Pretty please?**


	3. III

Okay, here's the third chapter up and running! I hope you guys all like it! :) And it's the longest one yet!

DISCLAIMER: I only own my OC's, sadly, not the pokemon franchise :(

* * *

 **Fate Has A Sick Sense Of Humor**

 **III.**

Cyron stared at him, curious. This guy had literally saved her, but why? He didn't even know her. "Yeah, I'm fine." She paused for a moment, "thanks." She added quietly.

He smiled and came to a stop in front of her. "Good!" He held out his hand. "I'm Spiro, nice to meet you." He gave her a flirty wink.

She was proud of herself for not blushing, although it was tempting. He was pretty attractive. She gave him a humorous smile, raised an eyebrow and shook his hand. "Spiro? What kind of name is that?"

Spiro chucked, "It's a great name!"

Cyron laughed, "Okay, fine. And I'm Cyron; it's nice to meet you too." Wait, why did she tell him her real name?

Spiro nodded with his smile still in place, "So…if you don't mind me asking… who is this guy and er…what was he doing?"

She raised her hand dismissively, "That was just…a minor disagreement."

Spiro stared at her, one eye brow cocked. "You mean a kidnapping?"

Cyron smirked, "Well, I'm still here, aren't I?" She nudged the unconscious form of Zack with her foot before moving past him and beginning to take down her tent. "And attempted kidnapping, actually."

"Yeah, thanks to me." He said, giving her a coy smile.

Cyron snorted. "I could have handled it." She said confidently as she zipped her backpack shut and strapped it to her back. She chose to ignore his sarcastic comment and turned back to face him.

"Okay, well I better go. Thanks again for your help!" she smiled and turned to walk away.

"Hey Cy! Wait a minute!" She stiffened when she felt his hand on her shoulder. He retracted it instantly, muttering an apology.

She turned back to see him give her a lazy smile. "I can't let you almost get kidnapped again. So I'm gonna come with you."

Red flag. Creeper alert, creeper alert. Must find escape route.

"What? I'm more than capable of taking care of myself."

"I know that." He said sincerely with a charming smile, "But it'll be fun!"

No, no, no, it will most certainly not be fun. This guy was screaming desperate. She glared at him, anger beginning to simmer in the base of her stomach. No way could she continue to mess with Rocket if she had to babysit him the entire time.

"I don't think it's a good idea… I'm not the best company."

Spiro laughed, slinging his arm around her shoulders, leaning on her ever so slightly, "You can't be that bad, I like you already!"

She glared at the offending arm, "If you want that arm to still be attached to you, I suggest you remove it." She said frostily.

He heaved a dramatic sigh, but obeyed. "Give me a chance, huh? It's gotta be lonely all by yourself."

She raised an eyebrow, her gut was still telling her no. Something was off. "Who are you and what do you really want?"

He cocked his head, confusion clouding his features. "What do you mean?"

She glared at him, her hand inching towards the knife in her back pocket. "I can tell when someone is lying, and you most certainly are. So, I'll repeat myself. What. The. Hell. Do. You. Want?"

Spiro sighed in defeat, before pulling out his wallet and handing her a card. It was an ID card for the Celadon Times, a well-known newspaper back in Kanto. "I'm a journalist, and we've heard that Team Rocket bases have been getting destroyed thanks to some mysterious vigilante," he grinned at her, "I'd love to do a story on you."

She stared at him in disbelief before handing him back his ID. "What makes you think I'm the vigilante?"

He stared at her, one eyebrow raised and lips quirked up in amusement. "Why else would Team Rocket try to kidnap you?"

She pursed her lip. "Well...because…uh…" She rolled her eyes, deciding to cut the crap. "No, you can't do a story on me. I don't want people to know who I am."

"Aw, c'mon. It'll be fun. Plus, Team Rocket already seems to know who you are."

"No. And I don't want the public to know who I am."

"Please?"

"No."

"I'll just follow you anyway."

"I'll ditch you."

"I'll find you again somehow."

"And I'll ditch you again."

"And the process will repeat itself."

She glared at him. This would obviously not end well. And he had come all the way from Kanto.

Yeah, no way in hell.

"Nope, sorry. Find a different vigilante." She turned away, determined to lose him. But he jogged past her, coming to a stop directly in the middle of her path.

"I'll make you a deal." He said with a breathless grin, "battle me, and if I win, I get to accompany you for a few weeks. If you win, I'll leave you alone and forget I ever saw you. Fair?"

Cyron cracked a smile. This would be too easy. "Alright. Deal."

-x-

Cyron dropped her backpack with an annoyed huff. She was absolutely furious with herself. To think that she lost to him? Pathetic. She hadn't expected him to be tough. He was a journalist for Arceus's sake! She had expected him to be a puny wimp and tried to use the situation to get her bulbasaur some more experience. But no, he had to send out a goddamn ninetales. She had her ass handed to her by a _journalist._

She wouldn't make that mistake ever again.

Spiro grinned and nudged her shoulder, cause her to jump and bringing her out of her thoughts. "You ready to go?"

She mentally cursed him. Didn't he know anything about personal space?

Well, maybe some company for a week would be good; more specifically, her week off. Then she could simply ditch him and head back to Goldenrod to tackle the base there. Yes, that would work out nicely, especially considering he didn't know the region at all.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

By the time they got to Cianwood, it was a little after one in the afternoon. Spiro didn't know they way, so Cyron led through the ocean with her gyrados, with Spiro riding his blastoise not far behind.

-x-

As they trudged up the beach, Cyron's patience was reaching its limit. Spiro pestered her with questions the entire ride. Most of which, she declined to answer. She told him to shut up twice, which he never listened to. The third time, she threatened gyarados's hyper beam if he wasn't quiet. That shut him up pretty quick.

"Hey Cy, where are we sleeping?"

She turned back to see that he was eagerly eyeing the pokemon center. She wrinkled her nose at the nickname. It was going to have to go.

"I'm camping on the beach. I neither know, or care where you stay." With that, she turned away and made her way inland to a point that wouldn't be reached by high tide.

"Now, you wouldn't be trying to ditch me, now would you?" He teased from behind her, following at an easy pace.

Despite her exhaustion, she allowed herself a tiny smile. "I would never do such a thing." She said sarcastically.

By the time she had finished pitching her tent and helped Spiro with his (the poor boy was clueless), the sun was beginning its slow descent. She checked her watch, a little after four pm. Man, it got dark here fast.

She yawned and stretched, her stomach growling loudly. Time to get some food, she was starved.

Spiro chuckled before jerking his head in the direction of the pokemon center. "There's probably a small café in there."

She nodded before digging into her bag and releasing two pokemon. Soon, a croconaw appeared in the sand before them. It was a cute yet dangerous pokemon, the strength of its bite could do quite a decent amount of damage.

"Hey, Bubba." She said with a warm smile, giving the small pokemon a pat on the head. "How're you doing?"

Croconaw bobbed up and down happily, pushing towards her outstretched hand, demanding more attention. She laughed, rubbing his head, causing the water type to flash a toothy smile.

Spiro stepped up next to her, wonder etched into his face. "Wow! A croconaw! I've never actually seen one before!"

Crocanaw jumped back, and attached himself to Cyron's leg, hissing indignantly. Spiro took a step back in surprise, causing Cyron to bite down a laugh.

"Sorry, he doesn't take to strangers very well."

Croconaw continued his hissing, despite Cyron's calming touch. He stopped when Cyron kneeled down in the sand, at eye level with him.

"This is Spiro." She gestured t him. "He's a…friend for now. And if he takes one toe out of line, you get to take a big bite out of him, okay?"

Her eyes shot to Spiro as he let out an indignant, "Hey!"

Croconaw seemed to think about the offer for a moment for nodding and letting out a happy gurgle. He then moved forward and giving Spiro and tentative sniff. Suddenly, he bit down on the pant leg of Spiro's jeans, hard.

"Oi!" Spiro yelled, jumping back and trying to dislodge the water pokemon. "These are my favorite jeans!"

Cyron exploded into laughter at the sight. It was quite comical; Spiro hopping around like an idiot, shaking his leg like crazy with croconaw still clamped onto his pant leg.

"Get him _off me!_ "

Cyron blinked, still trying to control her laughter. She took a few deep breathes before calling croconaw back to her. The pokemon responded instantly, tottering back to her with a piece of Spiro's jeans still clamped in his mouth.

Spiro looked downright offended. "These were my favorite pair of jeans!" He wailed.

Cyron couldn't stop the grin that lit her face. "Suck it up, you'll be fine."

Spiro glared at her, mumbling incoherent threats under his breath. She chuckled, bending down and patting croconaw on the head. "We're gonna go find something to eat. Guard the tent while I'm gone?"

Croconaw gave a happy nod, snapping his jaws together. She smiled. "That's my boy!"

She stood up as he waddled away to laze about the waves in the setting sun.

-x-

As they made their way inland, Spiro was acting like a kid on Christmas. He kept going on and on about how he had never been this far into the Johto region and how there were different pokemon here that he had never seen before. She knew it was rude, but she just tuned him out eventually. It felt so strange, travelling with someone other than her pokemon. She was accustomed to the silence, and thus, having a constant rambling in her ear was starting to get on her nerves. He was a nice guy, but right now, she just wanted to relax and not have to deal with anyone.

They walked into the pokemon center, and to her surprise, it was relatively empty. Cianwood wasn't a big town at all. But it did play host to one of the Johto League's eight gyms. There were usually at least _some_ trainers around.

But it was just empty. A little too suspiciously empty for her liking. She slowed as they entered through the sliding doors, eyeing all of the possible exits. Four doors total, front, back and two sides. Two large windows on the first floor, four on the second floor and one on the third. The first floor was the health care center. The second was a small café and the pokemart. The third and final floor was a mass of hotel rooms used to accommodate travelling trainers or, tourists in the summers.

But no. Right now, in the beginning of summer, it was _empty_. She had a terrible feeling in her gut. But as she scanned the area before her, she couldn't find anything out of place.

Spiro didn't seem to share his discomfort. "Come on, slowpoke!" He said with a lopsided grin, dragging her further and further into the center and up the first escalator to the café.

She was slightly comforted to see a few people already there. A young couple sharing a sundae and a few trainers scattered here and there. They picked a table near the window, facing the ocean. It was a lovely view. The dying rays of the sun casted a warm, orange glow that reflected off the water, bringing bright color to the small seaside town.

Spiro excused himself to the restroom and Cyron was left alone with her thoughts. Spiro has been proving to be an interesting travelling companion. If the past few hours that she'd spent with him, she'd laughed more than she can remember laughing in a long time. It felt nice, not to have to worry about Rocket for a little while. This little vacation was going to do wonders for her health.

But Spiro was still a problem. The alarm bells were still ringing in her head when he was around her. There was just something off about him. He seemed nice enough, but there was still _something_. She refused to let her guard down entirely until she was sure she could trust him, and she knew that would take some time. The question was, was it time she was willing to give?

Spiro returned, offering her another warm smile as he sat down. "So, I insist you let me pay."

She raised an eyebrow and was about to refuse when their waitress appeared. She was a pretty thing, short blonde hair and blue eyes with a tight uniform that showed off her assets.

"Hello, there." She said with a smile, "my name is Rainy. I'll be your server for this evening. What can I get started for you?"

Spiro gave her a wide smile and ordered a lemonade, while she chose to stick with just water. Rainey nodded and disappeared with a smile.

Cyron sighed, crossed her arms over the table and rested her head. She simply wanted to get some quick food, take a nice hot shower and go to bed.

Rainey returned with a drink and took their orders and was gone just as quickly. Cyron was actually surprised. In her experience, hot guy plus waitress equals pointless flirting and endless annoyance for her. So yes, she was pleasantly surprised.

"So," Spiro started, after had finished their food. "Tell me about your childhood." He whipped out a notepad.

She nearly spat out the gulp of water she'd just drank. "W-why'd you need to know that?!" She coughed.

Spiro chuckled, easily reaching over the small table and giving her a slap on the back. "You lost the bet! I get to write a complete article!"

She rolled her eyes. "How about this. I tell you a little about me, you tell me a little about you. Yeah?"

There. She saw it. Something flashed across Spiro's face. But it was gone too quickly for her to identify. Fear? Apprehension? She couldn't tell.

But he simply grinned and clicked the tip of his pen. "Alright, let's get started then."

* * *

 **Drop a review for me? :)**


	4. IV

Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed! :) I break out into a happy dance and squeal like a little girl every time. This is the fourth chapter, and I really hope you like it! :)

DISCLAIMER: I tragically own nothing but my OC's.

* * *

 **Fate Has A Sick Sense Of Humor**

 **IV.**

Cyron sighed, content with life. She was currently standing on a sandy beach with an absolutely breathtaking view. The air was warm and the sun was greatly helping her pale complexion. She wiggled her toes, burying them beneath the hot sand. The waves lapped lazily at the shore, the crystal blue waters reflecting off the cloudless sky above them. The wind blew gently against her, causing her dark hair to dance in the breeze.

This was absolute peace. She could stay here forever and not even notice time passing…

"Cyron! Hey, Cyron!"

And her peace shattered like glass into one million pieces.

She ground her teeth together and took a deep breath before turning to her right to see Spiro come racing towards her with sand flying everywhere. He skidded to a stop next to her, panting slightly and grey eyes glistening with excitement. "I found a cave over there, let's go spelunking!"

She stared at him, slightly dumfounded. "How old are you?"

He looked confused. "Twenty-three."

She let out a very unladylike snort. "Could have fooled me."

He narrowed his eyes. "Whatever, now come on! Let's go!"

She dug her heels into the sand. "Wait a second! I wanted to come to the beach to enjoy the sun! Not go hide in a dark cave!"

Spiro crossed his arms over his chest, beginning to show signs of annoyance. "Well I'm bored. All you've done the last four days is sleep and read those stupid magazines."

Cyron felt her face get hot. "Well _excuse me_ for wanting to relax!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Fine. I'm gonna go for a swim then."

Before she could open her mouth to respond, he jogged over to his tent and disappeared inside it, only to reemerge moments later in a pair of black swim trunks and carrying three pokeballs. He released his blastoise along with a vaporeon and a horsea. He took off at a dead sprint towards the water, carrying horsea in his arms and vaporeon running alongside him while blastoise lumbered after them.

Cyron smiled at their antics. She had learned quite a bit about him the past few days. She learned that he grew up in Pewter City in the Kanto region, and that he was also a good friend of Brock, the gym leader there. He has two younger sisters, Leah and Sarah. He left on his pokemon journey at the age of sixteen, which was a great surprise to her. Most trainers nowadays didn't start their pokemon journeys until they were eighteen, and therefore legal adults. It was at eighteen that they could obtain battle licenses and officially challenge gyms and battle for money. Any battles that took place before the license was obtained were not recognized by the pokemon league, and could not be used to obtain any kind of money or status. Those who left for their journey before they were of age often faced multiple hardships that could have easily been avoided.

When she asked him why, he initially refused to tell her. But when she agreed to tell him more about her, he reluctantly agreed. When he was fourteen, his father died of cancer, leaving his mother all alone with three extra mouths to feed. For the first year and a half, they managed alright. But the last half, in the few months before he turned sixteen, tragedy struck. Late one night, after his sisters had gone to bed; he was doing dishes so his mother could have time to relax a little. She had really been running herself ragged and it caused a stroke. She had walked into the kitchen to speak to him when she suddenly collapsed.

Spiro woke his sisters and the three of them raced to the hospital. After waiting for hours while the doctors stabilized her condition, they were finally told that she had a stroke. The hospital bills were enormous. After her stroke, it was revealed that it had caused atrophy of her brain which has led to dementia.

She withers away a little more every day.

Leah and Sarah both now work at Pokemon Tech, a university between Cerulean and Vermillion. They made decent pay, and along with his job at the Celadon Times, they made enough to keep his mother in the hospital. With her dementia, it would be dangerous to take her anywhere else.

He also explained why her alarm bells were still going off. His managers weren't too happy with him, stating that the last few articles he's written were subpar, and that if he didn't find the so called 'vigilante', he would lose his job and therefore not be able to contribute to his mothers' hospital bill.

She was a horrible, cold hearted bitch and was going to forever burn in hell.

With her alarm bells silenced, she begrudgingly began to divulge some of her past. She told him about her family; her parents and her older brother, Markus. She told him about growing up in Saffron City, only a few cities away from him. She told him about how she and Markus aspired to travel all the regions and challenge all of the pokemon leagues. She told him about how jealous she had been when Markus had gotten his first pokemon, a charmander. Markus was five years older than her, and it always irritated her to no end that he got a pokemon, but she was too little to at the time. She told him about how they moved to Johto when she was eleven years old. After they moved to Johto, she was given her first pokemon, a chikorita now meganium who is now one of the strongest members of her team.

When he asked to interview her brother, she nearly lost it. Trying not to breakdown. She told him the story.

 _It was a bright day in Saffron City. It was mid-summer, and the sun beat down mercilessly, reflecting off the hot pavement of the streets. People bustled about, lost in their busy day to day lives. Two children raced along the sidewalk, dodging the legs of adults, street signs and occasional pokemon. The younger boy ran ahead, about fifteen years old; he was tall for his age, with short dark hair that stood on end. The younger girl trailed a few feet behind him, calling for him to slow down. It was obvious that the two were siblings with matching hair and eyes._

 _"Maaarrrrkkkk!" The little girl wailed, trying to catch up to her brother. "Slow down!"_

 _The boy laughed as he ran faster and faster, rounding a corner and hiding behind it, chest heaving as he eagerly waited to see if his sister could find him._

 _The little girl rounded the corner, almost smacking directly into her brother. But he moved at the last second, causing her to run straight into the wall._

 _"Hey! No fair!" She whined, rubbing the side of her head._

 _Her brother laughed, placing his hand on her head. "That's what you get for trying to catch me!"_

 _She pushed her brother away roughly, lips formed into a pout. "I'm gonna tell Mom that you let me run into a wall!"_

 _The boy stopped laughing immediately. "Aw, why would you go and do that? Never mind… I've got errands to run now, head home and when I get back, I'll let you play with Charmander!"_

 _The girl grumbled, latching herself onto her brother. "Oh, please let me come!"_

 _He shook his head. "Sorry, Cy. But this is some stuff I gotta do on my own. Alright?"_

 _The girl pouted. "Fine."_

 _He grinned, placing his hand on the top of her head once again. "I'll see you when I get home!"_

 _He turned and walked around the corner and disappeared. At least he thought he did. But what he didn't realize was that there was a little shadow following him._

 _She was always so curious. Her brother disappeared on a regular basis, and never told her where he went off to, her parents were completely oblivious as well. But now, her curiosity was getting the best of her. Being a whole ten years old, she simply had to know!_

 _So she followed him. She wound her way through the streets, following him from some ways back. He almost caught her once or twice, but she managed to duck behind a wall or trashcan just in time._

 _Eventually he went into a building. It was a big building, one that she didn't recognize. The sign out front read in bold letters "SILPH CO."._

 _As she crept into the building, there were a bunch of scary looking adults. They all looked so mean. Her brother proceeded to poster on the back wall and pressed the button hidden behind it. A staircase appeared._

 _Her brother walked confidently down the stairs, and she got a terrible feeling as she crept through the building up to the poster. She pressed the button and descended the stairs._

 _She was in some sort of hallway. It was dark and scary, there were no windows and she suddenly felt claustrophobic. She stumbled into a run, she just had to find Mark and then they could leave this scary place._

 _She rounded a corner and crashed right into a man wearing a funny outfit. She tumbled back, falling on straight on her butt._

 _"Oi! Kid! What are you doing down here!?" He asked harshly, grabbing her roughly by the arm and fulling her back to her feet._

 _"I-I-I'm j-just trying to find my brother." She stuttered out, fear shooting through her._

 _He peered at her, getting way to close for her comfort. "Say…. you kinda look like that new recruit."_

 _Before she could ask what he meant, he started dragging her down the hall._

 _"Hey! Let me go!" She cried, trying to pry his hand off her. "Let go!"_

 _"Stop fussing, kid!" He snarled, gripping her even harder, bringing tears to her eyes._

 _A door appeared before them, and he opened it, giving her a rough shove into the room. She stumbled in, tears flowing freely now._

 _"Cyron?!"_

 _She looked up, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Markus was standing in a group of three people. A tall man in a dark suit and hat looked to be addressing him. Two men in the funny uniforms flanked him. And she realized that there were two men in lab coats standing farther ways back._

 _The man in the suit calmly looked from her to her brother before addressing the man who pushed her in here. "What is the meaning of this?"_

 _"Apologies, Sir. I found her snooping around the main floor."_

 _She sniffled and stood as the man eyed her before turning back to her brother. "Is she here with you?"_

 _Her brother looked at her coldly. "No, Sir. She must have followed me here…She…She has nothing to do with this."_

 _"Markus!" She cried, pushing forward, only to have two pairs of arms wrap around her from behind and yanked her back none too gently. She let out a yelp and started bawling. "Markus! I wanna go home!"_

 _A flicker of irritation crossed the face of the man in the suit. He spoke curtly to her brother before sharply turning to one of his lackeys. "Will one of you shut that brat up?!"_

 _A hand descended over her mouth. "Shut up, kid!"_

 _"No, stop!" Markus shouted. "Don't hurt her!"_

 _She did the only thing that she could think of. She bit down on the hand of her assailant. Hard._

 _The man let go with a yelp and a muffled curse. She fell forwards. Suddenly, her head snapped back as someone's hand connected with her face. She full backwards before looking up at the man, shocked into silence._

 _The man in the white lab coat looked down his nose at her before saying. "Stay down, kid."_

 _The man in the suit nodded before turning back to a shocked Markus. They exchanged words and the man in the suit left with his lackeys in tow._

 _Markus stared at the man in the lab coat. "You…You bastard! Don't touch my sister!" He lunged, tackling the man roughly to the ground. Her voice came back and she cried harder than ever. Her shrieks could be heard through the walls._

 _As Markus and the man wrestled, each landing blow after blow on the other. Until the man pulled out a gun._

 _Markus blanked and stood slowly and backed away from him. The man was in between her and her brother now, with his back to her and Markus facing her._

 _"Now," the man said while wiping the blood from his lip. "I can put a bullet in your sister's brain if you don't cooperate"_

 _Markus looked mutinous. She felt another sob escape her._

 _The man turned the gun towards her. "Will you shut up, you stupid bitch?!"_

 _Markus lunged, the man turned back towards him in surprise._

 _The gun went off._

 _First shot._

 _Markus froze and staggered backwards._

 _Second shot._

 _He fell to his knees, shock written all over his face._

 _She screamed his name._

 _Third shot._

 _He landed on his back._

 _"MARKUS!"_

 _He struggled onto his side and mouthed one word to her. "Run"_

 _She froze, but the man turned on her and she was out of time. So she did. She ran. She fled from the room, raced back up the stairs and out the front door into the city. She blinked in the sunlight, she had no idea what to do. She was hysterical. The first thought that came into her head was to get Mom and Dad, yes, they would know what to do._

 _BOOM!_

 _She was thrown flat on her face onto the asphalt as the building behind her exploded. She got to her feet blindly. She could hear sirens and people screaming. She struggled to her feet, ignoring her scraped up hands and knees._

 _She turned to face the building…_

 _It was engulfed in flames, and her brother was still inside…_

 _That was the last thing she remembered before she felt dizzy and everything blacked out._

She had explained to Spiro after her depressing tale, that she woke up in the hospital a few hours later. They had found some bodies, one of them was of a fifteen-year-old boy with three bullet wounds in his chest. They had moved to Johto shortly after, she didn't want to live in the city in which her brother died.

"Cyron!"

She snapped out of it. Beach…she was on a beach…right…She wasn't in the hospital no…she was at the beach.

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. How long had she been standing here? She looked up… it couldn't have been that long… but it felt likes ages…

"Cyron!" Spiro suddenly appeared beside her, dripping wet. "You still awake over here?"

She jumped and took a step away from him. "Yeah, sorry, I was just lost in thought."

He grinned. "Let's go for a swim then!" With that, he scooped her up, threw her over his shoulder and dumped her butt in the ocean.

"SPIRO!" She shouted, shocked. She got unsteadily to her feet. She was soaked to the bone, clothes and all.

He stood a few feet away from her, doubled over in laughter. "That was great!" He wheezed, in between bouts of laughter.

She felt herself laughing with him now. "Shut up!"

A game of tag ensued, or rather, who could shove the other into the ocean first. By the time they finished, the sun was setting, and they trudged up the beach together.

-x-

They sat around the fire that night. The moon hung in the sky surrounded by the stars. It was a beautiful night. The small fire they made provided all the light necessary. Houndoom and umbreon had already slipped away on their nightly escapades, and Spiro had reluctantly allowed his gengar to join them.

"You know." He said after a particularly long silence. "You haven't told me where we're going after this."

She shifted, slightly uncomfortable. She was still planning to ditch him before heading back to Goldenrod. "Err… I'm still working all of that out."

He raised an eyebrow. "Well…what about Lake of Rage? That place seems pretty cool!"

She chuckled. "You read about that on the tourist pamphlet in the pokemon center, didn't you?"

He shrugged, grinning. "Yeah… well…It still looks cool!"

She laughed. "We'll see."

The next silence was broken by Espeon; who jumped onto Spiro's lap, curling up and purring contentedly. Cyron smiled, reaching over to scratch her pokemon behind the ear. Ever since the psychic type had discovered that Spiro was responsible for saving Cyron from Zack's attempted kidnapping, she had taken incredible liking to him.

"So, I assume you're going after Team Rocket because of your brother right?"

She froze, and even espeon stopped her purring.

She didn't answer.

"You're like a guardian angel." He said with an easy smile.

Cyron's mind reeled and she was suddenly assaulted with memories.

 _She laughed, running around the backyard with her brother's charmander trailing her. Markus appeared at the back door of the house, smiling._

 _"I was wondering where you were!" He placed his hand on the top of her head. "I thought my little angel had run off!"_

"Cyron?"

She was jerked out of her memories. She stood abruptly. Espeon gave a tiny whine, flattening herself onto Spiro.

"Cy? What's wrong? Is everything-"

"I may be on the side of the angels." She said slowly, trying to keep the malice from her voice. "But don't think for a s _econd_ , that I am one of them."

She disappeared inside her tent and crawled into her sleeping bag, not bothering to change. Tears leaked from her eyes as she muffled her sobs into her pillow. After a few moments, espeon padded in and came nestling into her side. She heard Spiro extinguish the fire and the zipper of his tent as he went to bed.

Cyron lay there, lost in her memories as tears soaked her pillow. Espeon's gentle breathing grew rhythmic. She closed her eyes, willing sleep to come; willing for the memories to fade away to dreams.

* * *

 **What do you think? Review pretty please? :) It would make me really happy! Oh, and props to whoever got the Sherlock reference ;)**


	5. V

So, I'm having some problems with updating stuff. I posted chapter 4 yesterday on the 28th, but it still says my most recent update is the 27th...so I don't know whats up with that. But here is chapter 5! :) But make sure you guys read chapter 4 first! It wouldn't be good to go out of order.

Rodent2000XD: I know, isn't it fabulous?! :D I've got a whole archive of references just waiting to be used. I don't think there are any in this chapter though. Sorry! :(

DISCLAIMER: OC's only!

* * *

 **Fate Has A Sick Sense Of Humor**

 **V.**

Run.

 _Your fault._

Run!

 _He wouldn't have died if it wasn't for you._

RUN!

 _Murderer!_

Cyron jerked awake and bolted upright. Her heart crashed against her ribcage and her breath came in short shallow gasps. Her entire body felt tingly and hot. Espeon let out of hiss of annoyance at being jostled before raising her head and blinking the sleep away.

She held her head in her hands. Her nightmares were back. After almost six months of peace, they chose now to reappear. How typical. Her tent suddenly felt like it was shrinking, she was suffocating. She crawled over espeon hurriedly and unzipped the tent before toppling out ever so gracefully.

She shot to her feet and stumbled down the beach. The moon shone brightly and the stars even seemed closer to her. She paused about thirty feet down, trying to regain her breath.

The nightmares had been a constant presence ever since Markus's accident. Sometimes, they came every night, and other times, they disappeared for months at a time. The wind cooled her skin, providing an overwhelming calming effect.

Breath. In and out, in and out.

She opened her eyes, and shivered as the water reached her bare feet. She hadn't even noticed she'd walked so close to the water. It pricked her feet like tiny needles.

She sighed, her vacation was supposed to last a few more days. But it couldn't. Not now, not anymore. She needed to get back to work; only that would quell her nightmares.

She tiptoed back to her tent. Espeon met her outside, looking quite unhappy about being woken up so early. She let out a toothy yawn before stretching and wound her way around Cyron's legs, and purring gently.

Cyron smiled. "Sorry, Espy." She whispered. "Time to go."

Before the pokemon could react, Cyron had returned her to her pokeball. She crawled into her tent and began packing. She checked her watch; it was a little after four. Ugh, today was going to be a long day. She packed her things quickly and managed to dig out an old sweatshirt. She pulled it over her head and tied her hair up in a sloppy bun. No use in trying to look presentable.

After she triple checked her bag, she hastily took down her tent. She could hear Spiro snoring away peacefully. Arceus, he slept like the dead. After she managed to pack everything away, she slung her bag over her shoulder and set off down the beach.

Except she paused as she passed Spiro's tent. Guilt gnawed at her. She really was a horrible person. Spiro was a good guy, and deserved an honorable muse. Was she honorable?

No…definitely not.

She sighed. He could make up whatever he wanted to for his article, and she wouldn't call him out on it. Despite her better judgement, her bag hit the sand as she dug into it and eventually came out with an old, rumpled piece of paper and a pen. She smoothed the paper over as best she could before scrawling out an apology along with permission to make up whatever he wanted, whatever he needed to keep his job. Along with best wishes for his mother.

She slowly unzipped his tent, holding her breath the entire time and setting the note gingerly at the foot of his sleeping bag. She suddenly felt like she was intruding. Jolteon and vaporeon were snuggled together to the right of Spiro's head. They both growled at first, but upon recognizing her, went back to sleep instantly.

She allowed herself a smile. Spiro was absolutely adorable when he wasn't being annoying. This was one of those moments. She felt herself turn slightly red as he turned over, revealing a toned chest and stomach. She hadn't been paying proper attention yesterday, she had been too distracted. But now…Was Spiro completely cut? Yes. Had she any shame? Nope. Did she stand there for a moment and ogle him? You betcha.

She withdrew quietly, murmuring a goodbye to jolteon and vaporeon. She zipped the tent closed and set off down the beach, trying to rid the guilt that was eating her.

Although she would never admit it to his face, she had grown quite fond of him the past few days. But right now, she had to leave him behind. She needed to take care of herself, because if she didn't, no one else would.

Eventually, she reached the docks. She reached down, testing the temperature of the water. Even though she was in the tropics, the water was still cold. So now the decision was, to fly or swim?

She pursed her lip, deep in though. There was a sandbank between Olivine and Cianwood. I was barely fifty feet long, nothing more than sand. But when the tide was right, it could act as a tradeoff point. She could swim halfway and fly the rest. By then, it would be light enough that Fearow wouldn't mind giving her a lift.

She rummaged through her bag, before pulling out a pokeball and releasing the animal inside. A dewgong appeared before her. It was a beautiful pokemon, sleek and lithe, it's speed in the water was unmatched.

Cyron smiled stroking her head. "Hey there girl, you up for an early trip back to the mainland?"

Dewgong barked happily, splashing the water with her large fins. Cyron chuckled and climbed up onto her back. "Alright, girl. It's a little chilly, so try to keep me above the water."

Dewgong bobbed her head in understanding and they set out into open waters.

-x-

After about an hour and a half, they reached the sandbank. It appeared there was already a swimmer that was using it to catch a few hours of sleep. Dewgong maneuvered up to the side of the bank, allowing Cyron to crawl off her back without getting in the water.

The first rays of light were just beginning to stretch over the horizon when Cyron tanked dewgong and released fearow. The massive bird pokemon stretched out his wings and let out a loud squawk.

Cyron grinned at her pokemons enthusiasm. Fearow didn't get along well with many of her pokemon, and therefore she couldn't have him out of his pokeball as often as she would have liked. He was simply moody.

"Hey, bud. Ready to head back to the mainland?"

He seemed more than willing, and soon they were airborne, soaring effortlessly through the clouds.

She checked her watch, almost six am. Her thoughts wandered back to Spiro, where would he go? He didn't know his way around Johto at all. The pit in her stomach worsened. He would figure it out. He was a smart guy. He was twenty-three after all, if she could survive being only twenty, then he would definitely be able to manage on his own. He had plenty of supplies. He would be fine, she assured herself. How would he react when he discovered she was gone? He'd probably be furious, then disappointed. She tended to have that effect on people. Maybe she would hunt him down when this was all over, once she had completely eradicated Rocket from the face of the earth. She could beg the forgiveness of the only friend that she has. Had, actually. He would probably hate her after this anyway.

She was pulled from her thoughts as bright light appeared in her line of vision. That would be the Olivine lighthouse. They were almost there.

By the time that Fearow landed, it was a little after seven. Damn air currents, slowing her down. She stretched, glad to be on the ground again. Time to hunt down some food before beginning the long trek back to Goldenrod.

She returned fearow to his pokeball and walked along the beach until she found a small café that was thankfully already open. It was a quiet place and there were a few sailors already seated at the counter.

She strode up and plopped down in a booth in the far corner, dropping her backpack on the bench beside her. She could see everything from here. Six windows, one front door and a door to the kitchens. Yes, this place was safe for now. An exhausted looking waitress came and took her order before leaving again. It was odd, she had grown accustomed to Spiros's constant chatter, it was so quiet without him. Speaking of Spiro, she checked her watch, he should be waking up soon. Her stomach clenched uncomfortably at the thought.

The waitress reappeared with her pancakes and coffee, and she quickly asked her to turn on the news. She dug in, ignoring the curious looks from the other members of the café.

Her eyes flickered up to the TV and she almost choked on her food. Plastered all over the screen was her face. She hastily read the subtitles below her picture.

' _Cyron Walker, 20, still wanted for questioning regarding the TM Production factory that exploded last week. Her status is currently unknown. She is not known to be travelling with any companions. SHE IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. If you have any information, please contact the Goldenrod City Police Station."_

She swore violently before yanking a ball cap out of her bag and shoving all her hair under it. She pulled the sides of her hood over so it partially obscured her face and sunk lower in her seat. Just _fucking_ perfect. She knew that the Goldenrod was corrupt, but it seemed that Rocket has its claws sunk so far into the entire region that nowhere was safe.

Well, this put a hitch in her plans.

She tensed as the waitress appeared with her bill. She saw her eyes flash to the TV before flashing back to her, and she saw recognition flicker.

 _Arceus damn it._

"H-here's your bill." She said shakily before practically fleeing towards the counter.

Well, time to go. She inhaled the rest of her pancakes and pulled her backpack onto her shoulders.

She was almost to the door when the waitress reappeared. "Stop her!" She screeched. "She's the fugitive they're looking for!"

She bolted.

But she wasn't fast enough. She was a hairsbreadth from the door when someone grabbed the back of her hood and yanked.

The air whooshed out of her as she was thrown backwards against the counter.

"Sorry, missy," the sailor said, flexing his hand, "but we can't have you running off now, can we?"

She scowled at him, trying to catch her breath. "Just let me leave and everything will be fine."

He shook his head. "Sorry lass, but you've got to pay for your crimes."

 _Oh, you have no idea._

She had no other choice. She ran for it, but he grabbed her. In desperation, she drove her elbow into his stomach. He released her with a surprised gasp. She turned towards the door, only to have it blocked by a large arbok.

She stumbled backwards as the large snake slithered towards her, hissing. Her eyes darted to the second sailor, who looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, miss. But we can't let you leave."

Fine then. She reached into her bag and threw the pokeball into the air. "Arcanine! I need you!"

The huge fire type appeared before her. He growled menacingly at the arbok.

She backed towards the wall. "I need some cover!"

He barked in understanding and the entire café was filled with black smoke.

She held her breath and moved forwards blindly. The coughing had begun. Arcanine appeared beside her. "Use fire blast! Open a hole in the wall!"

He obeyed. She heard her waitress let out a scream as the wall exploded. She groped for his mane and scrambled into his back. He leapt out of the café'.

"Money's on the table!" She yelled back into the rubble. "Sorry about the wall!"

She could hear the sirens now, they were close. "Time to go, bud." She said urgently.

Arcanine didn't hesitate. He shot through the city, no more than a flash of orange and a flicker of black. He slowed at the police cars appeared before them, but instead of stopping, he bunched his muscles and flew over them. She leaned down over his neck as his strides lengthened.

Soon, they were well past city limits, and for now, she needed a place to hide. "Head towards the old ranch. It'll be safe for now."

The only acknowledgement she got was the flick of his ears. But within minutes, they had reached the ranch.

It had been abandoned years ago, the miltank that lived there had contracted some mysterious illness and died, leaving the rancher penniless. He couldn't sell it, so it had withered away. It was so overgrown with plants that there was no way to spot it unless you knew exactly where it was.

She walked around what was once the barn, struggling to find the back door. Once she found it, she yanked it open, ripping the vines and plants that had grown over it and staggered into the middle of the barn.

Right now, she just needed some sleep. Just a few hours.

She dug into her bag and released flareon and houndoom. "Keep watch? Have Archie with you as well."

Houndoom trotted off, slinking through the gate to go and find the arcanine. Flareon rubbed his nose against her in concern. She gave his head an affectionate rub. "I'll be fine, just need to sleep."

The fire type nodded before racing out the door to follow his companions.

She checked her watch, eight thirty. If she could sleep til noon, she would be golden. She set out her sleeping bag and climbed in. She was asleep before she even hit the ground.

-x-

Cyron awoke to sunlight. It peeked through the vines covering an old window. She yawned and stretched before surveying her surroundings. Flareon was curled up by the door, ever watchful. Houndoom and arcanine were nowhere in sight. She checked her watch; two pm. Yup, she was golden.

She stood up and beckoned flareon to her. He gave a happy yip, happy that she was better now. She smiled and scratched him around the ears. The fires of his mane didn't burn her hand at all, they almost tickled.

After her ran off to find his brothers at her request, she changed clothes, slipping into a pair of baggy jeans and a different hoodie. She stuffed her hair into a beanie. She still had to get some supplies from Olivine before she could start heading to Goldenrod. Maybe this way, she could pass as a guy and not receive any attention.

The door burst open as houndoom and arcanine bounded in followed by flareon. "Thanks guys, you did a great job!"

She repacked her bag and shouldered it. Time to leave her safe haven.

It took her almost forty-five minutes to walk back to Olivine. That shows just how fast arcanine can run. She found a little mini-mart on the edge of town and purchased a box of granola bars, water, some pokemon food, potions, pokeballs, and everything else that she was short on.

She thankfully hadn't been recognized yet. Thank Arceus.

It was then that a hand reached out from an alley way and grabbed her. The next thing she knew; she was pinned to a wall looking into the _very angry_ face of Spiro.

Well, shit. Angry Spiro was actually really scary.

"You better have a really good explanation." He snarled.

She looked at him weakly. "Umm…how…what…how did you find me?"

"I've been to Goldenrod and back." He seethed, before shoving a copy of today's newspaper into her hands. "Care to explain why your face is everywhere?!"

Sure enough, she had made the front page. "Um…Well…I might have blown up a Rocket base last week."

He stared at her incredulously. " _Blown up?!_ "

She cringed at his tone and didn't answer. He went on, waving his hands wildly. "You know what, I don't care. What I care about is why you _fucking_ disappeared in the middle of the night and left me with this!" He pulled out her note and threw it onto the ground. " _We had a deal!"_

She flinched. "I know…I'm sorry. I-"

"You what?" He growled.

"I didn't want you to get involved."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. Hell, she was surprised too. She just realized it. She didn't leave to get rid of her nightmares, or go back to work. No, she left because she didn't want him to get sucked into this miserable life she was living.

Arceus, when did she turn into such a sap?

"I hate to break it to you." He said quietly, some of the anger leaving his tone. "But that's not your decision to make. I can choose to involve myself or not."

"Why would you want to?"

He didn't answer. She guessed it was because he didn't know why. But he actually looked for her. Which meant he actually cared. Whether it was about her or the job, she didn't care which. But someone had come looking for her with good intentions, and that meant more to her than she could ever tell him.

"Come on." He said gruffly, snapping her out of her thoughts. "We can't stay here with you being so well known."

Warmth blossomed in her chest. He was really going to stay with her? "What do you suggest then?"

He narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. "Your face is everywhere in the entire region. I say we get out of Johto."

Her eyes widened. "What?! Where would we go?"

He smiled at her, and she felt her heart skip a beat. "Why, Kanto of course."

"Kanto?"

"Yeah, that way you can drop off the grid for a few months and I can see my family!"

"Kanto doesn't know about me?"

"Well… they know about you, but I'm almost certain they aren't hunting you."

"Well…okay…I guess. But how-"

"Great!" He said with a grin, cutting her off. "We'll leave straight away then!"

He turned and walked down the street, leaving her no choice but to follow after him.

* * *

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